Sustainable business, communities and charities

Business Energy Efficiency Grant

Apply for a grant to help your organisation implement energy-saving measures that will improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

As part of Three Rivers District Council’s work to support the achievement of net zero carbon emissions by 2045 for the district, we are committed to supporting local businesses to reduce their environmental impact.

The Business Energy Efficiency Grant aims to support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) located in Three Rivers District to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions through the installation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies to their buildings.

What are these grants for?

These grants are to help improve the energy efficiency of business premises in Three Rivers District.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available for eligible SMEs to install eligible energy efficiency measures.

Eligible Energy Efficiency measures include:

• Cavity Wall Insulation
• External Solid Wall Insulation
• Internal Solid Wall Insulation
• Solar PV
• Solar Thermal
• Air Source Heat Pump
• Ground Source Heat Pump
• Wastewater Heat Recovery Systems

Other energy efficiency measures that can measurably reduce carbon emissions may be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval.

Further information on the types of measures different sectors can implement to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions can be found at the UK Business Climate Hub.

Additionally, up to £2,000 funding is available to eligible SMEs to support the costs of the business obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate and Recommendation Report for their premises, and procure expert technical advice from a qualified independent party.

Please note: this is a grant and does not need to be repaid. However, the grants are paid on defrayal, this means if you are successful in securing a grant, you must purchase and complete your project before claiming the funding you have been awarded.

Can my organisation apply for a grant?

You can apply for a grant if your business meets the criteria below.

All applicant businesses must:

• Have a physical trading address within Three Rivers District Council Local Authority Area – this does not include businesses run out of someone’s home.
• Operate from business premises.
• Fulfils the UK Government’s definition of an SME (have fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £36 million or a balance sheet total less than £18 million).
• Be able to evidence trading activity.
• Fall into one of the following categories: registered as a limited company; a sole trader; or a partnership, a Community Interest Company, Limited Liability Partnership, Co operative or Community Benefit Society.
• Be able to demonstrate the business has sufficient financial resources available to cash flow the project and provide the co-funding required.
• Represent the applicant’s primary source of income.
• Be registered either on Companies House or with HMRC and have a Unique Tax Reference Number.
• Have a Business Rates number for the property benefitting from the funding.
• Have consent, permission, and approval from the landlord to carry out retrofit work at the premises.
  

The full Business Energy Efficiency Grant Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Notice can be viewed below: 

What do I need to apply?

Expression of Interest applications closed on 31 July 2024.

The Council will assess all Expressions of Interest against standard evaluation criteria, and will approve applications from eligible SMEs with the highest scoring applications. Proposals for energy efficiency improvements that deliver high carbon emissions reductions will be scored preferentially.

Applications should include:

• A brief description of your business and its activities
• A brief description of why you are applying to the grant e.g. high energy bills, interest in sustainability, interest in improving comfort of building for employees etc
• A detailed description of the energy efficiency improvements you are interested in installing to your business premises using the grant
• Information on your organisation’s sustainability initiatives e.g. do you have a Climate Change Strategy or a net-zero target, what are you doing already to support sustainability and do you have any upcoming plans?
• Information on any added value associated with your energy efficiency proposal e.g. improved flood resilience, modernisation  of building appearance, local employment, air quality improvement etc
• Any other relevant information to support your application

Applications supported by an energy efficiency audit (conducted by an independent third party), demonstrating the relevance and impact of specific energy efficiency measures are encouraged.

Grant Terms and Conditions

• Grant funding available for buildings located in Three Rivers District used for commercial purposes by SMEs only.
• The Grant is not available to temporary buildings (to be used for 2 years or less), buildings due to be demolished by the seller or landlord, or buildings that have obtained or applied for planning permission to demolish it.
• The grant must be spent on new investment and cannot cover any costs already incurred.
• All UKSPF-funded measures must be installed by Trustmark Accredited installers, and for renewable energy technologies also by MCS accredited installers.
• SMEs must ensure their energy efficiency measure is installed within three months of the grant award notification.
• Applicants must ensure that their project does not require planning permission. If planning permission is required, please ensure that you check your proposal with TRDC Planning department before you apply. Three Rivers District Council will not cover any costs associated with a business applying for planning permission for a retrofit measure part funded by a UKSPF grant.
• Applicants must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate and Recommendation Report before any grant funding will be awarded.
• SMEs that are awarded UKSPF funding for retrofit measures must have new Energy Performance Certificates produced at their own cost, following the installation of UKSPF-funded measures to demonstrate their impact.
• All applications must take into consideration how the activity will deliver in line with UK subsidy control requirements - if the organisation is likely to receive more than £315,000 in grants over a three-year period it may not be eligible.
• Businesses in financial difficulty, such as collective insolvency, are not eligible for the grant.
  

Contact:

You can contact us by email at climate.change@threerivers.gov.uk with your query and contact details. Please include your business name and the address of your premises within Three Rivers District.